The Wonderful, Indescribeable, Maximum Ride
by CrucialDetails
Summary: The epic tale of Max, The Human. Fax
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is my first story ever, so tell me what you think! I ' m not sure where I am going with this, so just bear with me. If you want to just get to the story, scroll to the end of this A/N. Otherwise, this is a little bit about me. **

**-I am a major book worm **

**-I LOVE to sing, but SongFics kind of annoy me, as they take up the whole page **

**-Fang is my all time FAVORITE character in any book. And Max. **

**Thanks!**

**-** Max POV

_ Beep. Beep. Beep._

You know what I hate about mornings? The deep, discordant sound that fills my head and calls me to consciousness. Also known as? My alarm clock.

I resentfully rolled over in bed and tried to block out the bane of my existence. It didn't work out to well, and I knew that if I let it ring for too much longer my sister would barge into my room and threaten to destroy my limited edition, signed copy of Audrey, Wait!

I stretched out my thin arm and unplugged the clock. I sat up in bed and tried to assess the state of my room, which I had been putting off cleaning for the past week. I ' ll deal with it later, I told myself, ever the procrastinator. I awkwardly slid out of bed and stretched. I took a quick shower and selected a black t shirt promoting Avenue Q, along with a pair of skinny jeans.

"Max," my sister called, "Did you take my silver ballet flats?" As a matter of fact, I was wearing them, but I wasn't about to tell her that.

" Nope! Sorry, El. " I heard a disgruntled sigh and some muttering, but decided to ignore it.

I ran down the stairs and slipped out the front door, with a power bar in hand. I sprinted down the block to Nudge's house so I didn't have to take the bus. What can I say? It pays to have a best friend with a car.

I rang her doorbell, and her mom answered. Nudge's mom has straight black hair and kind turquoise eyes, set back against her dark, chocolate skin. " Morning, Max, " she said by way of greeting. " She is just finishing up her hair. " She gave a slight eye roll and shook her head. I understood where she was coming from Nudge had thick, caramel hair with natural highlights, but for the life of her it wouldn ' t lay flat.

"Can I go try and help her?" I asked, but we both knew it was a lost cause. She smiled and nodded, and opened the door to their old style Victorian wider so I could get in. I found Nudge on the verge of tears, sitting on the toilet seat, trying to work a comb through her hair.

"Hey Max," she said, looking troubled. Unlike the sane half of the world, this kind of thing would be the end of the world to her.

"Nudge, do you really want to be late on the first day of high school?" I asked her. She looked at the clock in her extravagant bathroom and stood up so fast she made the straightener on the ledge of the sink fall over and burn her toe. She let out a yelp and started bouncing on one foot. I let out a chuckle at her expense and unplugged it.

"C'mon, let's go, " I said. We walked out of her house, said goodbye to her mom, and hopped in her car. The ride to high school was silent, me in excitement and pain for Nudge. We pulled up to the large brick building that would hold us all year, and just stared for a second.

"Alright," I said, "Let's do this."

**I know it ' s been done so many times, but I love High School fanfics : ) I know it ' s short, but I don ' t have much time. More later if someone reviews!Thanks! ~CrucialDetails**


	2. Chapter 2

** Hi! Thanks for the reviews! They made me feel happy. :) I squealed. It takes a LOT to make me squeal, my friends. **

**I Realized that I made Nudge less talkative than she should be, and I ## m going to fix it! I also made a major tactical error, as Nudge is 14 and supposedly can drive. So, we are going to say her 17 year old brother, Michael, drove them. **

**Alright, Enjoi : )**

Max POV

We approached the our new school, and I felt all the excitement I had felt in the car drain from my body. I looked at Michael's retreating back. Was it too late to ask him to drive us back to his house?

"Don't even think about it, Max," Nudge said threateningly "We've been waiting for this day since we were seven."

She was right. When we were little, we used to pretend that we were the most popular girls in school. We even had pretend dances and stuff. In fact, my mom has a picture of us waltzing with our pretend boyfriends. I keep trying to remember to burn that photo...

I nodded.

"Ohh, look!" She said, pointing towards the quad "I betcha we are gonna sit there with all our new friends!" A grave look crossed her face. "What if we don't make any? That would be horrible! I mean, you're my best friend and all, but you don't like to shop or anything like- Oh em gee! We HAVE to be lab partners! What if I have to dissect a frog by myself or something! I... "

I let Nudge carry on her rant and occasionally nodded while we walked up the gray front steps.

The school had sent us our schedule and a map, so I navigated our new school while Nudge blabbered on.

"Nudge?"I interrupted her, "Approaching destination." She immediately quit talking and help my pick out the door with 'Mr. Tiziani' on it. The door was open, and we could see all the students inside, wandering around and mingling with their peers. There was only two people sitting down, a long, lanky boy with strawberry blonde hair and bright blue who who was whispering to the equally tall, black haired boy. I couldn't see his face, as he was facing away from me.

Nudge gave me a small smile, and I chuckled. I looked around the room once more and saw the two words I hate most printed on the board with red marker. _Seating Chart . On my desk_. Nudge was still surveying the room, and I nudged her (Hah! I'm even punny in a moment of distress!). She looked where I was pointing and turned back to me with a deep grimace.

Nudge had always been sweet and friendly, but I on the other hand am not exactly known for my people skills. We were transferring to the public school because our parents couldn't afford the private high school. I didn't gripe about it much because it wasn't my mom's fault, but now I realized I should have.

I walked over to Mr. Tiz's desk with the look of someone who had just been told the world was ending.

"Let's cross our fingers... " I said with as much enthusiasm that I could muster.

I looked down, and saw that 'Monique Taylor' was not next to 'Maximum Ride' as it should have been. No. She was next to some guy named 'James Griffiths' . Damn! I was next to 'Nikolas Hawkings'. I moaned.

Nudge looked at me sympathetically, and gave me a sad grin, but was not able to hide her excitement for meeting new people. She waggled her fingers at me, then walked away towards her new seat, trying to contain herself from skipping. She sat down next to the buy with the blonde hair. James, I guess.

I looked around the room and noticed that everyone was sitting down and making nice with their new table partners.

I looked back to Nudge and James, and she was laughing at something he had said.

I hitched my red and black backpack higher on my shoulders, and walked towards my indicated seat. I realized that I was sitting next to the boy with the black hair. I dropped my bag on the tiled floor and put a hand on my black, plastic chair.

"Nikolas, right?" I asked him. His head snapped up, and I finally got a good look at his face. He had flawless olive skin and perfectly symmetrical red mouth and nose. He has eyes blacker than midnight, framed by long lashes. He was wearing a navy blue 'My Chemical Romance' t-shirt and black jeans.

"Fang." He put his head back down, and stared at all the engravings, the most prominent of which was _Kelsey + Matt + Looooove!_

"Care to elaborate? I prompted as I sat down.  
>"No." Alrighty.<p>

We sat there in awkward silence for a while, until I muttered something that almost always got the conversation flowing.

"Gay babies... " His head popped up so suddenly I thought he would break his neck.

"What? What did you say?" Unlike most people, Fang sounded more offended than amused. Whoops. So much for an ice breaker.

"Every time there is an awkward silence, a gay baby is born." He looked at me like I was nuts.

"You? Are crazy." He said, in a non-jokey kind of way. He turned away and looked at the board.

"Not far off the mark" I muttered.

I seriously wished I had asked Michael to bring me home.

**So how was it? I was almost done, and then my computer deleted the whole thing! :-P Pretty please review! I have virtual kittens and puppies for those who do! You can practically HEAR them clogging up your inbox!**

**Suggestions? Ideas? If I put Brigid in the story, should I have Max punch her? What do you guys think? I might do that anyway, just 'cuz i love Brigid so much (**_Gag_**). **

**Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi Again! I just can't stop updating! I love waking up to reviews :) **

**Anyway, Read On!**

I think the bell is purposely trying to keep me here. I mean, who could listen to Mr. Tiz drone on and on about all the 'fun' we would be having this year, when I was sitting in the most awkward seat of my life (Theoretically, of course. The plastic was surprisingly comfortable).

I took a chance and glanced over at Fang, who's face was as impassive as ever. Go figure. I looked over at Nudge, who was passing notes with James. As he slid the piece of paper over to her, she blushed and scribbled something down. I'm not all to good with the whole flirting thing, but the the way Nudge kept flipping her hair looked _very _suspicious.

The bell finally rang after putting me through forty-five minutes of leaning as far away from my table partner as possible. He just had that, 'Touch me and die' vibe going on, and I seriously didn't want to take my chances. I stood up and motioned for Nudge. She waved to James and started walking towards me. I noticed that Fang was walking towards him, and turned away before he caught me looking at him. I mean, he was good looking and everything, but after the time we spent together, I kind of wanted to keep my distance.

We were almost to the door when Nudge exploded.

"Oh, Max, I abosutely can not _wait_ for tomorrow when I can sit next to James again! He was so funny, and nice, and really cute, too! He said he liked my outfit! Oh, and the guy you were sitting next to? Fang? He is James's _best_ friend! Just like us! We could totally double date and stuff and it would be _so_ much fun, 'cuz-"

"Woah, woah, woah. Back the truck up. You said James is nice and he hangs out with _Fang?_ The guy is a freaking sociopath!" Maybe that was a bit over the top, but still. "And no _way_ am I ever going out with him! Jeez." Nudge looked kind of hurt, so I added, "So, what else did James say?"

Nudge went on to another tangent, so I could zone and find our next class. We got to Mrs. Friedey's Math, and Nudge saw James. He waved he rover and she looked at me with a pleading look. I sighed and motioned for her to go on. She squealed, hugged me, and pranced (yes, pranced) over to James. I took a seat in the back and prayed nobody sat next to me.

A thirty- something woman with chestnut hair and big, hazel eyes stepped in front of the room. She was wearing a pearl dress with a peacock feather pinned to her chest.

"Good morning, class, my name is Mrs. Friedey. I know you guys aren't going to listen to me anyway, so take the next hour to acquaint yourselves with you table partners, as they will be yours for the rest of the yea-"

Mrs. Friedey was interrupted when a hurried looking girl with long, black hair and wide silver eyes burst into the classroom and announced, "I have an excuse!"

The class took in her outburst, as well as her eccentric maroon cocktail dress overlayed with black lace.

"Well, I would love to hear it." Mrs. Friedey said. We all turned to the girl again, awaiting her response.

"I had to drop off my siblings at the elementary school, and my sister got sick and I had to take her to the emergency room." Well. I don't think any of us were expecting that. I noted that the girl was very pretty, looked very familiar...

"Well, that sounds legitimate. What is your name?"

"Beatrix Hawkings." Not again!

"Very well. You may take a seat beside Miss Ride." She looked around, as there were a few empty seats. "Wave, Miss Ride." Mrs. Friedey instructed. I did as I was told, and Beatrix gave me a casual grin and strolled toards me. She stuck out her hand.

"Call me Trixie."

**Okay, I seriously wasn't gonna do that. It just kinda flowed on the keyboard. For those who didn't follow, Trixie is Fang's sister. I have no idea what I'm gonna do with her. Oh, well. The more the merrier.**

**Oh, and I was hoping to find a way to GIVE Iggy his nick name. Any ideas? Like, pranks, random happenings, etc.**

**Kind of a boring/filler chapter, but I'm too tired to do any more :P**

**Okay, Thanks! Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okaaay, so 1 review. 1? Puhtooey. Anyway, I need your views on Trixie. Love her? Kill her off? There are many different ways to go with this...**

**Oh, and a shout out to Kallik of Gallifrey, who is _really freaking awesome_. I LOVE that idea, so I hope I might be able to use it? Anyway, kudos to you for being brilliant.**

**Alright, thanks!**

I shook her hand, and she dropped her olive green shoulder bag next to my back pack.

"Are you Fang's sister?" I asked, though not really wanting to know. I must have been making a face, as she looked at my quizzically.

"Yeah. His twin, unfortunately. Don't worry, I didn't get the creepy genes." She smiled. She had sparkling white teeth. I sucked on my own self consciously. I gave her a small smile back, which I guess she took as an invitation to keep going.

"So, yeah. I'm Trixie. Is it obvious that I took three hours getting ready today?" She asked, awaiting my approval. I just laughed and shook my head.

"Nah, I would've figure you out to be an hour and a half. I'm Max." She grinned at me.

"So why did you look at me like I was a time bomb or something when you found out I was related to Fang?" she asked.

"Well, we sit next to each other in homeroom slash math, and we had an exchange that was somewhat awkward..." I trailed off. She just nodded.

"So, what's your home life like?" She asked me, not trying to pry, just making conversation. Even so, I grimaced.

"Dad's gone, and my mom couldn't afford private school for another year, so I'm here. My sister, Ella, is a fashion freak and in 7th grade. My best friend, Nudge," I pointed her out, chatting with James, "Is is the same financial situation. What about you?" Her silver eyes wandered towards the cieling in thought.

"Well, I have Fang, obviously, who is really not so bad. My mom tries to hard to be in our lives, and my dad is a total wimp and let's us and my mom do whatever. I kind of resent him for that." I raised my eyebrows at her, as that seemed kind of personal and she met me five minutes ago. She blushed.

"So, do you read much?" Ha. Did I ever. I was starting to like this girl.

-Snap, Crack, Pop!-

"So then, he tried to shove the _whole_ eggplant down his throat, and I swear to God his eyes almost popped out when the thing snapped and the juice came out, and my mom was like 'Yo, Fang! Are ya tryin' ta gimme a heart attack or somthin?'." I was laughing so hard I was crying. I was trying to find a tissue in my back pack when the bell rang.

I saw Trixie getting up and waved. She was almost to the door when I heard her say, "Hey, Max! You should sit with us at lunch! And Nudge can come, too!" I looked at her in surprise. Had I actually made a _friend?_

"That sounds great!" I told her, and she gave me a thumbs up before walking out. I found Nudge still talking to James. She waved me over to introduce me.

"Max, this is James. James, this is Max." We both looked at her in surprise. I had expected a backstory, his parents names, the kind of car he drives, etc. Then, I saw how nervous she looked. Oh, she wants us to hit it off. Got it. Might as well humor her...

"Hey, James. What's up?" He shifted his attention back to me, still in shock because of Nudge'd loss of words.

"Nice to meet you, Max. I've heard a _lot_ about. Like, seriously? If you ever need your life story, I'm your guy." I laughed. I had expected Nudge to tell him as much.

"I'll keep that in mind. Ready to go, Nudge? We've got gym next."

As it turns out, Nudge, Iggy and I had all the same classes in the morning. 1st through 5th periods flew by with the two at my side. James was a riot. I told them how cool Trixie was, and James nodded his head.

"Yeah, she's pretty awesome. I hang out with her a lot when Fang isn't home." I think I sort of scowled when I heard his name, because James laughed. I quickly cleared my face of all emotion.

"She invited us to sit with her at lunch. Do you guys want to?" They both nodded their pretended to listen to Nudge the whould way to lunch, and we finally went through the double doors to the cafeteria.

We walked into the wide, tiled room and were slapped in the face by the unmistakable stench of the 'Sloppy Joe' they try to sell in almost every school system. I wrinkled my nose, and proceded into the mob of kids trying to get food. We finally got to the front, and I selected just a salad and a pear. I could deal.

Nudge and James grabbed their stuff, and I perused the lunch room and tried to pick out Trixie. I found her sitting in the back with three other people, one girl had plain brown hair in a pony tail with a pleasant face, a boy with sandy- blonde hair who was looking at his food with disgust, and-.

Really? No freaking way. I could see his mop of black hair a mile away. I sighed and motioned for the others to follow. We were walking down the isle of about fifteen lunch tables, when I tripped over something and fell on my face, salad flying everywhere. I looked back see a girl with auburn hair snickering with her posse of girls who looked exactly like Barbie. The girl with auburn hair straightened up when she saw me glaring, and I saw that underneath pounds of pore- clogging makeup, the girl was beautiful.

"Sorry, Newbie," she said snidely. "I'm Brigid." She turned away without waiting for any response. Probably a good thing, as if she had looked at me as if she was superior for five more seconds, I would've punched her face in. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Nudge shaking her head. I knew I should leave and walk away, be the bigger person, but what fun is that?

"Are you always so bitchy, or is today a special occasion?" I asked, putting an innocent look on my face. She froze, and turned back to me with not- so- friendly intentions.

"I seriously doubt you want to go there. Do you even know who my parents are?" She asked, a snarky smile spreading on her face. I couldn't care less.

"Woah, there, don't let all those brains go to your head!" I said, putting my hands up in a 'Jeez, are you crazy?' gesture. A confused look came and replaced the smile, and I chuckled. Brigid shook her head, and glared at me.

"My dad is Craig Dwyer. As in, _Dwyer Animal Care._" Crap. My mom worked as a receptionist/nurse there. Maybe I really didn't want to piss this girl off. I felt my face harden, and I continued to walk down the isle. I heard my friends' footsteps behind me, only slightly delayed. Everyone seemed to quiet down and watch as I slid onto th bench across from Trixie. Nudge sat next to me with James on her other side.

"Holy chicken shiznit, what was that?" Trixie asked, her eyes wide. I just shrugged, and she dropped the subject. Nudge glanced at me with a worried expression.I waved her off. Did she think I was going to have a break down, or something?

"Hey, I'm JJ, and this is Sam." The girl with the pony tail said, then pointed to the sandy haired boy. They both smiled at me.

"Hi. I'm Max." They nodded, and then looked at Trixie. I looked at Fang, and he blinked at me. In what universe a _blink_ was acceptable as a greeting, I have no idea, but I didn't question it.

"Want an orange?" Sam offered, extending the fruit out to me. I smiled and said thanks. I introduced Nudge, who then launched into an intricate story about her fourth birthday. Trixie, JJ, and Sam laughed at all the appropriate times, as did James and I.

"And so then my uncle dropped his cigarette on my stomach, which was bare because, you know, we were swimming and stuff, and I'm totally moaning in pain and stuff, and then I stumble around then corner and see my fourteen- year- old cousin on my dad's side kissing my cousin on mom's side! Now, I didn't really get the realations of everyone, so I was totally grossed out to the max. Oh, and speaking of kissing, whenwe were in fourth grade, Max had a _massive_ crush on my brother, Michael, and were so excited and thought we were gonna be sisters and..." Cue blush from me. Trixie glanced at me and laughed.

"I bet you guys didn't know James and I were married." She said when Nudge was taking in a breath. Nudge and I looked at her in horror, and the rest of the table laughed. Well, Fang sort of chuckled, but whatever.

"...when we were in 1st grade." I glared at her as she wiped tears of laughter out of her eyes.

-Line-o-riffic-

I walked out the front doors with Nudge buzzing about our first day.

"Oh, James is so awesome! I think I'm in lo-" She stopped short. I looked at her in suprise. Well, alright. 'Threaten James about what you will do if he hurts your best friend' just shot to the top of my mental to do list.

I saw Michael leaning on his car and pointed him out to Nudge. She started up again and I shot Michael a smile before gettting into the back seat with Nudge.

"Thanks for the ride!" I told him. "See you tomorrow, Nudge!" They waved and waited until I got inside the house before pulling out.

"Mom! I'm home!" I shouted, not bothering to look for her. "Ella?" I called, going into our modern- style kitchen.

"I'm in the living room! Mom's at work!" I heard my little sister shout. "I got my new movie! But you can only watch it if you make me popcorn with nacho cheese!"

"No way!" I yelled at her, incredulous.

"Oh, c'mon, Max! It's Pretty Woman!"I sighed. I was a closet chick- flick lover, and Pretty Woman made my top ten favorites. I opened the cupboard and looked for Orville with no avail.

"Ella, I've got to walk to the store to get some, be right back!" I yelled before shutting the door.

I walked down the block to the corner store, and hoped they had Orville Redenbocker. It's the only kind my mom will allow in the house. I perused the isles and found the wonderful red box. I walked towards the counter and took out my wallet, waiting for how much it would be. I looked up and saw the cashier, who was none other than Fang. He wasn't looking his best, as he was wearing a bright yellow t- shirt that didn't look so great. I snorted.

"Nice shirt." He glowered at me. He scanned my popcorn and announced that the total was $10.00. Now, call me cheap, but that seemed a little outrageous. I peeked at the register and saw $3.27. I hashed out the money and he handed me the change and popcorn.

"You know, Fang, I'm starting to get the feeling you don't like me. I'll see you at school." I turned around and almost missed his next words.

"See you, Max." I looked back, but he was deep into a magazine. After checking to see that it wasn't Playboy, I left the store. For some reason, I felt happy. That's wierd. Fang probably gassed me or something. Oh, well. I would talk to Trixie about my theory tomorrow.

I got home, made the popcorn, sat down with my sister, and enjoyed my favorite hooker.

-Dunzo-

**Soooo... what do you think? I liked it. It's pretty long, though. Oh, well. I seriously want to watch Pretty Woman now...**

**Anyway, thanks, and review pleeeeeaaase!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! Sorry it took so long, I was busy. (Like you guys have never heard that one before...)**

**Happy 5th of July! **

**-Line-**

You know, I like to think of myself as a unique individual. So, you can imagine my annoyance when it turns out I'm just a regular girl with daddy issues.

Ella and I were sitting on the couch watching the credits to the masterpiece that is Pretty Woman, when I hear the front door open. My dad appeared in the living room and opened his arms wide, looking expectant.

"I'm back!" He announced. Ella gave a polite smile, and then gave me a gentle shove. I nodded towards him, and then pretended to be interested in the Executive Assistant Director or some nonsense like that. My father was visibly put out due to our reaction (or lack there of) of his homecoming. He sighed and straightened up.

"Max, where is your mother?" I seethed.

"Like you care. You only show up here when you run out of money, Jeb." He looked hurt.

"That's not true! I even got presents for you guys..." He trailed off, obviously trying to spark our interest. Well, I remained on the couch, but Ella jumped right up. Jeb smiled, and brought out a bag from Abercrombie. Ella squealed and grabbed the bag, ripped it open to reveal a pink tank top that preppies like her adore.

"Oh, Jeb, you shouldn't have! Thank you!" You see, Ella can actually call him Jeb without my mom giving her a stern look. Ella, being the lucky girl she is, has a different father.

He turned towards me, and extended a CD towards me. _Nothing Personal_ it said on the cover. I was genuinely surprised. It came from my favorite band, and it was the only album I didn't have.

"Valencia said you would like it." He said, his face filled with hope. My expression turned stony. Figures. I turned on my heel and walked out the back door. I could hear Ella yelling my name, but I didn't turn around. I whipped out my cell phone and told Nudge to meet my at the park in between our houses. She called me almost instantly.

"Max? What's wrong. Are you okay? Is Ella okay? I-"

"Nudge," I cut her off, "I'm fine. Jeb is here, though, and I needed to get away before I.. just meet me at the park." I flipped my phone shut. I sighed, and realized I would have to go back sometime or another. But it was only five thirty, so I had some time to burn. I reached the park and sat down on the bench. I had played here for years, and I noted that the cracking red slide had seen better days.

For some reason, I thought back to Fang. I wonder why they call him that? Ha, tomorrow I should start calling him Molar or something...

I heard footsteps, and I turned around, but I didn't see anyone. "Nudge?" I called. No response, but the footsteps were getting louder. I get kind of paranoid, so I started to sing, as it generally calms me down.

"Many mumbling mice, making merry music in the moonlight, mighty nice..." I sang, right on key. I'd always loved singing, I just limited myself to my room and the shower. The only one who knows is Ella, and I've got some major blackmail hanging over her head if she tells anyone. I was just getting to the chorus of 'My Happy Ending' by Avril Lavigne when the footsteps stopped. I tensed up.

"Max?'' A voice questioned. I turned around hesitantly, then sighed in relief when I saw it was just Fang.

"Jeez, you could have said something earlier. Are you deliberately _trying_ to give me a heart attack?" He shrugged.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" I questioned.

"Just walking home from my shift." I raised my eyebrows.

"Where do you live?" I asked.

"A couple blocks away." He said simply.

I wonder how far away from my house. I had never seen him or Trixie before, but it's possible that they lived 'a couple blocks away' from my house? Talk about a small world.

"So, I'm gonna go. Are you just going to sit there and sing some more?" He asked with a small smile that made my heart do little flips. I-

Wait, what? 'Make my heart do little flips'? Do I need to make myself a foil hat or something?

"You heard that?" I asked, a little horrified.

"Yep. You are lucky my ears aren't bleeding." I frowned and he chuckled. "I kid. It wasn't so bad. Cya later." He waved, and turned around without waiting for a response. Hmph.

"Max!" I heard a female voice call from behind me. I turned around just in time to see Nudge pull her bike up next to the bench I was sitting in. "Thank God! I've been looking all over this park for you!"

"Well, here I am." Nudge rolled her eyes at me. She squinted at the shrinking figure strolling down the street.

"Is that... _Fang_?" She asked, incredulous. I shrugged. She smiled deviously at me, and I glared at her. She flinched and continued.

"So, exactly what happened?" Nudge asked. I filled her in on the events that led to my freak out. She scowled in all the right places, and it made me happy to have her. Just before we parted, she mushed me in a ginormous hug. She waved and pushed off on her bike. I stood up and began the walk home, feeling considerably better.

**-Line-**

I got home and saw Jeb and my mother sitting at our kitchen table, deep in discussion. They stopped talking as I entered the room, and Jeb stood up. He started to say something, when I cut him off.

"Save it." I said simply, and climbed the stairs and turned the knob on my bright red door. The smell of _Tuscan Blood Orange_ (the perfume I get from the local Co-Op) wafted into the hallway. I threw myself onto my purple comforter and shut off the light. No way was I going to stay up til the crack of dawn pondering the happenings of tonight.

As I meandered into the realm of my dreams, my last coherent thought was _'I can't believe Fang heard me sing...'_

**-Line-**

**Yes, I know, super boring/filler. But fear not, I shall avenge thee! **

**Review please...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey-looo. You guys are awesome :) Just letting you know...**

**Thanks for Reading! **

I snapped my eyes open to the sound of someone banging on my door.

"Max! I get to pick out what you wear today!" I heard Ella shout. I groaned. I looked over towards my alarm clock and saw that it cheerfully stated _5:45._ I buried my face in my pillow and let a long line of obcenities.

I heard my door being pushed open and prayed that I had suddenly become invisible. That hope was shattered as I felt my blankets and sheets being ripped off me.

"I'm not kidding, Max! I will accompany you in the shower if I have to!" Ella screamed in my ear. I regretfully sat up, deciding that I liked my personal space. I slowly trudged into the bathroom Ella and I shared, whacking her in the head as I passed for good measure.

I had just started shutting the door when I saw her raiding my closet. I mentally sighed. _Cross that bridge when I reach it, I guess..._

Cranking my shower to ultimate heat, I stepped in and felt my sleepiness float away. I lathered my hair and thought about what Ella could possibly do to me. I mean, I've never really been super girly, so I hope she didn't find the clothes my mom had bought for me this year, telling me to 'branch out'. Pfft. Yeah right.

The only other possibility was that Ella would give me her clothes, but I seriously doubt that. Firstly, she knows I would sabotage whatever lace/silk/sequined stuff she gave me. Secondly, I was about three inches taller than Ella.

I was feeling pretty at ease as I stepped out of the shower, and I wrapped a towel around my body. I opened the door and peeked out, brushing my blonde hair out of my eyes. I saw Ella deviantly smiling at me, then she lifted a puce skirt for my viewing. I just stared at her.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." She then pulled something out from behind her back. I gawked and felt my stomach drop. "You wouldn't."

You would think a girl clad in cloud pajamas wouldn't look threatening, but as Ella uncapped a red Sharpie and drew it closer to my worn copy of _To Kill A Mockingbird._

"Stop! I'll do it! I'll do it!" I yelled. It was a gift from my late grandmother, and she had had it for thirty years before she gave it to me. I glared at Ella as she put the marker back in her pocket and shoved the skirt, black leggings, and black t-shirt at me. These were _definately _the clothes my mother had bought me. Suprisingly, they weren't the disgusting pink that I thought they were going to be. I retreated once again to the bathroom and slipped on the clothing.

I emerged, and Ella gasped, which only made me more mad. I put more force behind my glare. She winced. I glanced back in the mirror, and noticed how the t-shirt fit my curves nicely, and the red skirt went to mid thigh. I must have looked kind of suprised, because I heard Ella giggling.

I saw movement by the toilet, and nearly screamed.

"Ants! Ants! **_Move, _**Ella!" I shrieked, pushing Ella over the threshhold hurriedly. She looked at me in confusion, but I leaped onto the rolling purple chair next to my desk. I was trying to breathe slowly as Ella went into the bathroom to investigate. I lost my balance, and ended up tipping the chair and falling on my face. (I never claimed to be graceful) I moaned in pain, and Ella came out of the bathroom. She just looked at me like 'Really?'.

"Max? There were three ants. I flushed them." I stood up and tried miserably to reclaim my dignity. I despite all things with feelers, multiple legs, or red eyes. So, this pretty much includes all bugs, spiders, and Bunnicula. I only let Ella lead me into the bathroom after making her swear not to share the events of this morning.

"Only if I can do your hair and make up!" The idea sounded repulsive, but I couldn't let it ruin my non-existant reputation, could I? I reluctantly followed her into the bathroom. I sat on my granite countertop and closed my eyes, not wanting to witness the horror. I felt the brushes come and leave my face, and sensed heat somewhere on my head.

"Kay, all done! You look gorgeus, if I do say so myself." Ella said haughtily. I gave her a look and turned towards the mirror, braced for the worst. Well, let's just say I was surprised for the second time that morning.

My dirty blonde hair was pin straight and fell neatly against the black of my shirt. My lips were a subtle apricot tone, and my eyelids were brushed with a faint red taint, but didn't make me look like I had pink eye. My cheeks were a soft, fine pink and my normally long lashes looked thicker and darker.

"Well...uh... Thanks, Ella." I stammered out. Ella looked elated, and I couldn't help but smile. I got down from the counter and stretched. "You better get ready. I'll see you later." I turned and clambered down the stairs and got caught by my mom.

"Oh, Max! You look lovely! Have a good day!" She said, already dressed in a lab coat that did her feminine body no justice. Her brunnette locks were curled and partially covered her warm brown eyes. I kissed her tan cheek and went out the door.

"MAX!" Nudge screamed at me. "You look hot! Did Ella do this to you? Remind me to thank her! Ooh, you look so cute in that red skirt! I can't wait to see what everyone else says! Are those the leggings that were _in Cosmo_? Wow, Ella is such a fashionista! She..." I chuckled at Nudge and let her carry on as we made our way over to Michael's car.

He was already in the front seat when Nudge and I got into his Jeep. He looked into the back mirror and blushed when he saw me, but quickly shook it off.

"Aww, look, our little Maxie is all growed up!" I blushed and smacked his shoulder. He rubbed it and shrugged.

A few minutes later we pulled up in front of the high school. I bursted through the door and waved by to Michael.

We saw Trixie on the front steps with Fang, Iggy, Sam, and J.J. and walked towards them.

"Woah, Max, you look awesome!" Trixie said, and I blushed.

"She's right! That skirt is so cute!" J.J. agreed. James gave me a thumbs-up.

''You look great." Sam said. At this point, I'm pretty sure the pigments in my skin are going to stay beet red for the rest of my life.

"Thanks..." I mumbled. I looked over at Fang, the only one who hadn't said anything, but he was too busy glaring at Sam. Jeez, who put a sock in his smoothie? If I were Sam, I would be wetting my pants right now, but he was still looking at me

**Ta-DA! CLICHE! I now it's stupid, but I will make up for it! (If I don't, I give you permission to cancel GLEE) Don't worry, I won't do a ton of Sax.**

**Thought: Is it not funny when people misspell Fang's name? Or maybe I'm just wierd.**

**Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy, Happy, Happy, Joy. That? Is the song I sing when I get reviews.  
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	7. Chapter 7

**Hi again! I can't believe I have 10 reviews! You guys are 99% amazing, 1% special sauce. :-)**

**This chapter is dedicated to Wings-and-a-Fez, formerly Kallik of Gallifrey, because I am using her awesome idea**

**New character alert! Don't worry, they eventually be in the plot...**

_Inhumane. Disgusting. Degrading. Smelly. _I thought to myself as I passed by the alarmingly small hyena cage at the zoo. I can't believe Ella and Nudge talked me into this. They had invited a whole crowd of people to the zoo (including my funny, somewhat-intelligent friends, and Ella's idiotic, _Seventeen_- worshipper friends).

Trixie and Fang brought their little siblings, Zephyr and Angel. They both had pale blode hair that curled around their cherub faces and bright blue eyes. A definate contrast from Trixie and Fang. Needless to say, Nudge had fallen in love.

"Oh, my gosh! You guys are _so _cute! I could just eat you up! Not that I would, of course. How old are you guys?" she gushed. Zephyr stiffened a little when she talked about eating them, so I guess he still thinks girls have cooties. How refreshing. When I was getting my wristband, some idiot at the counter held my hand for, like, seven seconds longer than necessary. I swear to God he was going to kiss it, but I wrenched it away just in time.

"Well, I'm six, and Gazzy is eight." We looked at Angel in confusion. "Oh, believe me, you guys don't want to know. But call him that instead of 'Zephyr'." She concluded. I shook my head as I heard a guy over the intercom announce it was time for the feeding of the lions. I groaned, and James shushed me so he could hear when. I glared at him and Fang chuckled.

For some stupid, stupid reason, I blushed. I just couldn't help it. Only Fang noticed though, which made him smile contentedly into space.

All of a sudden, everyone in the zoo just _had _to go see the lions, which included James. I was walking with the crowd, when an irritated blonde pulled up next to me. I raised my eyebrows.

"_Yes,_ let's all herd towards animals blinded to the fact that they are living an undesirable life in captivity." she says, practically spitting her works out. Is this girl supposed to be the future president of PETA? 'Cause, I will definately give her my letter of reccomendation.

"And you are following along because...?" I prompted. She nodded at the small child a few steps in front of her.

"It's his birthday. I promised. I'm pretty sure my brain had evacuated my head at that point." she said, rolling her olive green eyes. "Anyway, I'm on supervising duty. Later." She waved and started calling to a Leo, who I assume is her brother.

I watched the lions growl at each other and viciously chew into their roadkill. As I was turning around, I noticed that the usually crowded ice cream counter was empty. On the verge of drooling, I walked over and heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see Fang following me.

"What, you not enjoying the animals devouring bloody chicken?" I asked, a smirk on my face. He shrugged.

"Not my scene." Fang said simply. I turned back around to face the menu.

"I'll have... a triple scoop of Double Chocolate Dream, please." I heard a throaty chuckle behind me, and I tossed him a glare.

"Are you sure you want that much?" I looked up and saw a cute boy with messy blonde hair and a t-shirt that said 'Scoopables' on it. I blushed and looked down, cursing myself.

"Umm... yeah." I said. The boy was cute, but not cute enough to give up my chocolate.

"And you, sir?" He asked Fang. I shook my head.

"We're paying seperately." The boy's face lit up and he went to go get my ice cream. Fang looked kind of irritated. What? Did he _want_ to pay for my ice cream? 'Cause, God knows I wouldn't stop him.

Unfortunately, the boy came back before I could question him. He gave me the cone, and I tried to give him a five dollar bill, but he waved it away.

"On the house," he said, sending me a dazzling smile that made my stomach flip. I stepped back so Fang could order, and he got the same thing as me, glaring at the guy the whole time. We were walking back into the crowd when I noticed black writing on my napkin. _Dylan- 902-553-2684._

I giggled, and showed Nudge when I was next to her. She gasped, and looked back to the ice cream counter.

"Oh, my gosh Max! I can't believe he gave you his number! That guy is _so_ cute! Oh, you should call him _right now! _And then you could get together after his shift is over." She winked at me. "Can I have a lick?''

I gave her my ice cream and tucked the napkin in my pocket. Everyone overheard Nudge, so all the girls were smiling, and the boys looked kind of indifferent. Except Gazzy and Fang- Gazzy looked disgusted, and Fang looked irate. Jeez, what did I do?

James decided to break the silence. "Hey, you guys wanna see something cool?" We all nodded, and he disappeared around the corner. Alrighty then...

We turned our attention back to the lions, when we were startled with a loud whinny. Everyone turned around and saw a zebra running around inside its cage. Along the inside of the cage, there were explosions of every color lighting up the cage and terrorizing the poor zebra.

After about thirty seconds, the mini- fireworks stopped and we all let out a breath of relief. Until the cage set on fire.

Nudge and Angel screamed, and I ran forward, looking for the door to the cage. I found it and flung it open, releasing the zebra. The zoo officials ran forward, half putting out the fire, and half trying to calm down the crowd.

James chose this moment to reppear, looking smug. I marched up to him.

"What the heck were you thinking! You can't just go around traumitizing members of the equid family! You made the stupid cage _ignite_, you idiot!" He looked confused.

"What's the equid family?" I groaned in frustraition.

"Horses!" I yelled, furious.

"We should call him Iggy." A small voice said behind me. James frowned, and looked back at Angel.

"That sounds _perfect_, Ange." I said, smiling deviously.

**I think that's a good place to leave off, since Max and Co. had such an exciting day at the zoo :) **

**Kind of blunt, but I was trying to get his name in, since I have to keep going back to fix it to James.**

**I seriously hope James Patterson picks up his game in the last book, 'cause I got ANGEL the day it came out, only to be seriously disappointed. I miss Fang too much. :P**

**Anyway, yay to Wings-with-a-Fez, yay RayWilliamJohnson, boo equid family.**

**Review please!**

**~Me**


	8. Chapter 8

**Oh, my gosh! I am the worst fanfictioneer EVAR! And Sunday I am going to camp for a week, so it is time for a CRAM WRITING SESSION!**

**I've been on Youtube a lot. I have a new found Meekakitty and Frezned obsession (I am watching all their videos) and I have been feeding my RayWilliamJohnson fetish. Yep- totally ambitious.**

**Oh, I created a Twitter for no apparent reason, so if you guys would like to follow me? My username is SkyPaige18. I don't have my real/full name on there, so I am stalker-proof. I hope...**

**Oh, and thank you guys so much for the reviews/subscriptions. Means a lot :)**

**Cupcake- I don't know why he isn't blind. I'm just not skilled enough to handle the true Iggy. :-D Plus, if I do something in his POV, it'd be harder to write. **

**Enough of my blathering (?), happy reading!**

After my usual routine of pushing my alarm clock to it's limit, I slowly crawled out of bed and into a hot shower. After fumbling the soap and chasing it around the slick shower floor for a few minutes, I raced out of the shower, into some clothes, and shot towards Nudge's without saying a word to my family. Michael always threatened to leave without me, and I knew no amount of convincing from Nudge would stop him.

My stomach rumbled from hunger. I turned the corner and saw Nudge's empty driveway.

_Crap. I'm gonna be late!_

I turned around and started running towards the school, but I knew I would never make it in time for homeroom. I kept running though, until I heard something behind me. I turned around and saw Fang, riding a bike with a milk carton on the front. He pulled up next to me.

"Need a ride?" He said, gesturing to the basket. I looked at him, and reluctantly put away the pepper spray.

"Can I at least get your plates?" I said jokingly. Then? He smiled. This would not have been quite so Earth-shattering if he did this on a regular basis. But instead of a smirk, Fang was full on smiling. His teeth were sparkling white, glittering in the early morning sun. My heart gave a squeeze and my stomach flipped. I racked my brain for an explanation for this.

_You're just hungry. That's it._

Then, as quickly as it came on it dropped off his face. I grinned and nodded. I put my butt in the carton and let my legs dangle out.

"Onward, trusty steed!" I announced. I heard Fang's dark chuckle, and we were off.

We arrived at school and Fang locked up his bike. We walked in together and you could _hear_ the rumors starting. I caught a glimpse of Nudge in the throng of people. I waved to Fang, and went forward to go find her. I finally spotted her and Iggy chatting it up by her locker. I approached them, but Nudge had her back to me. I put my finger to my lips, and Iggy nodded his head almost imperceptively, and continued to listen to Nuddge. I clamped my hands down roughly on her shoulder, and screamed, "RAAAH!".

Nudge let out a bloodcurdling scream and elbowed me in the stomach. _Jeezum, that girl packs a punch._ She turned around to see me doubled over in pain. She gave me a look of pity, knowing I wasn't badly iinjured.

"Serves you right, sneaking up on my like that. I _will_ get you back for this, Maximum." She said menacingly. "See you in class!" She added brightly. Oh, shiznit, I've done it now. Couldn't I just say 'Hi!' like a normal kid?

**I know, I know. FILLER. Short. STupid. I could go on. **

**So... tired...**

**See you next week ! And I promise, I will have an EXTRA SUPER LONG CHAPTER! If i'm smart and write during daylight hours...**

**Reviews are cooler than sliced bread. Pretty please?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, Hullo thar! Fancy seein' you here!**

**Excuse my random accent. **

**I know it's been a while, and I hope I stop being so spacey, because I was thinking about starting a new story. I'm in a play right now (opening night is Thursday) and the rehearsals are really hectic. **

**See you on the flip side**

"C'Mon, Max, just do it already! I _dare_ you." Nudge taunted me. Oh, snap, it was on.

"Fine!" I turned around from my messy room and locked myself in my bathroom, inscribed napkin in hand. I sat on the countertop and started the numbers into my cell phone.

"Aww, Max! At least put it on speaker-phone!" She pleaded.

"I second that motion!" I heard Ella say behind her.

"No way, José!" I said, and hit the call button.

As I listened to it ring, I contemplated exactly what I was doing. I was calling some random guy that probably doesn't remember me, and I barely know his name is Dylan. And what am I going to say? 'Hi, this is the girl from the zoo. You know, the one with the blonde hair and unseemly appetite? What's up?'. I was just about to hang up when a feminine voice answered the voice.

"Hello?" Well, here goes nothing...

"Umm... well... hi, is Dylan home?" I stuttered out, praying he didn't give a fake phone number.

"Sure. Just one second, hon." Hmph. This is a little easier than I thought. I heard some shuffling and a door opening, and then I heard a voice come through my phone.

"Hello?'' A smooth voice says. I felt like i had a speech impediment.

"Err... Hi, this is... the girl from the zoo?" I mentally smacked myself because I sounded so unsure.

"Oh, Hi! I was really hoping you would call." Dylan said, sounding substantially happier.

"Really? That's great!", I said, feeling relieved. "My name is Max, by the way. Max Ride." Jeez, who was I? James freaking Bond?

"Cool. I'm Dylan Whitman. It's kind of weird introducing yourself on the phone." We both laughed, his deep and full, but not in the Santa Claus way, just in the guy way.

We did a little bit of small talk, like what movies, music, and books we liked. We had a few things in common, which made it a lot easier to talk to him. Eventually, he got along to asking me to dinner and a movie, and I gladly accepted. After we hung up, I looked at my phone in astonishment for a second. I had a date with a really cute, nice, and funny guy. The peaceful silence lasted only a moment before Nudge and Ella busted into the bathroom and bombarded me with questions.

Not that I was answering them. Or even listen. I was floating on the air, and not even the Nudge Channel could bring me down.

-LINE-

The feeling of complete bliss lasted until school the next morning, when I was caught off guard with a 'pleasant' surprise.

Nudge and I were walking up the stepsto the school, and I made it all the way to the front door until a blob of pink and red hair blocked my entrance. Standing in front of me was a girl I had never seen before, wearing a great big smile on her face. She had nice features, and was very pretty, with long red hair and bright green eyes. The only thing truly ugly about her were her clothes. All designer and name-brand, just an offensive shade of pink- from her top to her heels. Even Nudge was wrinkling her nose a little.

"Hi there! I'm Lissa! I just didn't recognize you, and wanted us to be friends!" She kept that big smile on her face the whole time, and no matter how obnoxious, I couldn't help but give a little smile.

"I'm Max, and this is Nudge. It was really nice to meet you, Lissa, but we've really got to go. See you around!" I said, edging around her and lying through my teeth. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to avoid this chick at all costs.

Classes were normal and I made it to lunch. I sat down next to my friends and listen to the playful banter between Nudge and Iggy, and JJ and Trixie were having some mega-intense debate about the Union or something. I caught Sam watching me and he blushd and looked down at his food. I blushed to and grinned at him. Fang was in his own little world, as per usual. Today he was sitting directly across from me, so it was kind of hard not to take notice.

I decided on the spot it was time to tell them about my date. I'd been putting it off all day, but Nudge was going to be doing my hair and makeup, so I needed someone else there with me so I don't end up strangling her with the cord to the blow dryer. I cleared my throat, and Sam and Fang gave me their attention. I did it again, a little louder, and Iggy and Nudge looked at me. She had a knowing smile on her face. Somehow, she had gone all morning without telling anyone.

"HEY!" I yelled. JJ and Trixie finally stopped arguing and looked at me, too. Both their faces were a little red, but we all knew the debate wasgood-natured.

"So, I've got an announcement to make." They all nodded, except for Nudge, who looked like she was about to burst. Crap- I better say it fast. "I-"

"Max has got a date tomorrow!" She squealed. JJ gasped and started squealing with her. Trixie had a big grin on her face. Iggy looked kind of disgusted, so I kicked him under the table. Boy, that sure cleared his face up fast. Sam and Fang were both scowling and looked like they wanted to wring someone's neck.

What? Oh, well. At least the girls were happy for me. I scooched down closer to them and let them plan out my outfit. I glanced down at Iggy, Sam, and Fang, and they all looked pretty threatening. I snorted. If they thought they were going to inerrogate Dylan before the date, they were dead wrong. Fang looked pretty lethal though, and I didn't really want to feel the intensity of his glare. Maybe five minutes of questioning. With supervision. I mean, I'm sure Dylan is totally cool.

I'm sure.

-Line-

**For those who couldn't tell, that was my lame attempt at suspense.**

**Hang in there, FAX supporters! Not too long now!**

**Well, I'm off. G'Night!**

**P.S.**

**Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed/favorited/subscribed. It means a lot, and every single one makes me so happy :)**

**Subtext: REVIEW OR I WILL SEND MOTHS TO EAT YOUR CLOTHES *the horror!* :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, it must be the end of summer, because THE DAYS ARE GOING BY WAY TOO FAST!**

**Thank you guys for all the reviews, all of them mean a lot!**

**Properly,**

**~Me**

-Line-

I looked at the dazzling girl in the mirror in amazement. It was almost like an out- of- body experiance. Nudge had gently curled my hair and pulled half of it up, and Ella put on natural- looking make-up that seemed to make me glow. JJ stole a shirt from her sister that war crimson red and hung off one shoulder, and paired it with my black jeans.

Trixie video taped the whole thing, and I spent the whole time I sat in that stupid chair thinking of elaborate ways to destroy her camera. Other than that, it wasn't the worst thing I've ever done. Although, it gave me plenty of time to worry about the date. Dylan and I were going to a party with his friends.

"You guys have out done yourselves. Thank you" I said, giving them all a meaningful look.

"Oh, shut up. You'll make my mascara run." Nudge proclaimed. We all laughed and emerged from the crowded bathroom. JJ and Nudge had somehow convinced Iggy and Fang to witness my Before and After, so we stumbled out of the bathroom and down the stairs to find two shocked looking teenagers on my living room couch.

"Wow, Max, you look awesome! But just remember, my _fist_ will be the last thing he sees if he tries anything, capiche?" Iggy said faux- threateningly. I smiled and glanced at Fang, who still looked pretty freaked out. I frowned.

"What?" I questioned. His face went blank and he shrugged.

"Just thinking."

"I'll get the caution tape." I retorted. He snorted and turned towards window, just in time to see a beat up truck (I've never been good with cars) pull in the driveway. My nerves I had been pushing to the side were finally revealed.

"Oh, man, he's here! What do I do? Is he gonna ring the bell? Should I go out there? What-" I was cut off by Nudge slapping her hand on my mouth. The pure irony of this made laughter bubble up inside of me, overcoming all my nervousness. Soon, I was doubled over, and I had pretty much forgotten why I was laughing in the first place.

The rest of my friends were looking at me like I belonged in a nut house. I even saw Iggy reaching for the phone, most likely to call the local loony bin, but I was saved by the door bell ringing. I decided I should act like a normal person for a change, and casually strolled over and put my handon the door knob. Cue more strange looks from my friends as they diagnosed me with bipolar disorder. But I didn't care what they were thinking, just about the adorable boy on the other side of the door.

I opened the it and there stood... Jeb. With a scowl on his face. I felt my stomach drop as he stepped over the thresh hold.

"Max! Where do you think you're going? You are too young to even _like_ boys, let alone date them! I cannot _believe_ your mother agreed to this! I am-" I sneered as I interrupted him.

"Do you honestly think you have any right to tell me what to do? After not speaking to me for _years?_ NO emails, NO phone calls, NO parenting skills. Get out of my house." He looked a little startled and hurt, so he turned out the door without another word. Not that I'm complaining.

"Okay... I think it's time for us to leave. Everyone nodded except Nudge and Fang. They weren't leaving because they were being jerks, but they were really being supportive in a way only friends can be. By leaving me alone with my emotions. I was still really peeved out, and not looking forward to the date much anymore.

"Max, I'm really happy you told him off. He totally had it coming to him." Nudge said gently. I gave her a small smile and looked at Fang. He looked at me and nodded almost imperceptively, which I guess was the equivelent to a reassuring look.

"So, are you still gonna go?" Nudge prompted.

"Of course! Just because Jeb is an idiot doesn't mean he can ruin my night. I am going on this stupid date and that _is final." _Nudge gave me a look that said 'I am not your enemy' and told me to call her when I got ome and not to forget a single detail. She walked out the door, the skip returning to her step.

I looked at Fang, who looked like he had scowled and then put SuperGlue on his face.

"Is there a problem?" I asked him. He got up and slammed the front door in my face as a response. Ahh, the joy of teenage mood swings. I didn't think to much about his sudden departure, as someone was ringing my doorbell 5 seconds later. _Fang must have forgotten his Midol_ I thought, snickering at my own lame joke. I whipped open the door, armed with my stupid humor.

My thoughts faded away though, as I took in the blonde-haired boy on my front porch.

"Hey, Max, you ready to go?" I smiled at him warmly, and nodded. I stepped onto the stoop next to him with a final look in my house. I thought I saw something dart accros the living room, but I had other things on my mind.

**Hi again! I am SO SORRY it took me so long. I had it almost done two weeks ago, but forgot to finish it.**

**School starts tomorrow, and I am not excited. It also means my horrible updates will get even worse, so just bear with me, and I WILL tell you guys when it's done/discontinued.**

**ANYWAY- thank you & see you soon!**

_**Everytime you read a story and don't review, a baby angel cries. No, really.**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey!**

**Sorry for taking so long! I would have updated sooner, but I didn't get a single review on this story. :'( BUT, I wrote a new story for Switched at Birth, so my self esteem is still intact.**

**Can't believe I'm on Chappie #11 already...**

**-Line-**

It was twilight already, so the street lights gave off an eerie glow as we headed across town. Dylan and I chatted for a few minutes, not landing on a solid subject.

"Oh, hey," Dylan said, "I got this new CD, and you have _got _to check it out." He pressed a button on his stereo and a blast of metallic tones came through the speakers. I cringed slightly, but pretended to move my head to the non-existant beat. I was open to almost any genre of music, techno being the only exception. I glanced over at Dylan, who was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel with each note, as if he knew it by heart. When the end of the song finally came, he looked at me expectantly. I gave him a big smile and turned towards the window, knowing I wouldn't be able to keep the facade up for long.

We were cruising through residential streets, and I noticed that the houses where beyond huge, with wrought iron fences and balconies to go with every window. We pulled to a stop in front of one with 10 foot hedges and a driveway that would have made a sufficient parking lot.

"This is it!" Dylan said brightly, running a hand through his gorgeus blonde hair. I opened my door and stepped onto the stone walkway that lead up to the front door. I raised my hand to knock.

"Don't bother." I looked at Dylan in suprise. "The party is already in full swing, nobody will be able to hear us." I nodded and twisted the gilded handle. The door opened into a beautiful entryway, with a walk- in coat closet and a delicately woven carpet. I pivoted so I could see the whole room. Dylan took my hand, smiled, and led me through the wonderful home until we reached the kitchen.

"What do you want to drink?" He asked, opening the fridge. "They've got pop, beer, juice..."

"Coke, please." I told him. He handed it to me and I wrinkled my nose as he got himself a Coor's Light. I could hear the music from where were standing. Dylan lead the way out of the expensive, modern kitchen and into the back yard. There were at least 200 people in attendence, about a fourth of them drunk. There way a glowing bonfire to the left, and a sparkling pool to the right. People were jumping in with their clothes on and running to the fire to heat up.

Dylan started walking towards the bonfire, and I followed, nervous I would get lost. We sat down next to each other on lawn chairs and sipped our drinks. Dylan knew just about everyone, but never introduced me, which I always thought was incredibly rude. The couple next to me were in the midst of eating eack others faces off, so I wasn't about to make friends with them. After 20 minutes, Dylan was still talking to his friends, so I excused myself to go to the bathroom.

I didn't have to pee, so I just walked around the house- no, _mansion_- for a while. I was determining whether or not they had a real Picasso when someone bumped into me.

"Sorry," I heard a familiar voice mumble. I looked up to see Fang with a smirk on his face. I smiled, happy to see someone who would talk to me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him. The smirk grew more pronounced.

"Living the teenage dream, can't you tell?" I laughed

"No, really." The smile left his face.

"Well...I-" Fang was cut off by a siren, and he looked relieved. I think it dawned on him, though, because his face grew slightly panicked. I felt a knot grow in my stomach, _Oh, my God. This cannot be happening. _I knew fully well that I had done nothing wrong, but I could not help the panic that enveloped me.

"Max, did you have anything to drink tonight?" Fang asked, sounding surprisingly collected I shook my head, and he looked like he calmed down a little. "I still think we should split," he said, and I nodded. No way was I getting in trouble for nothing. We saw the lights flashing through the window, so we snuck out a side door. We crept into the driveway,and it ocorred to me the he didn't have a car, being only 14. I looked at him and saw him unlocking his bike.

I almost couldn't see him in the night, but he smiled at me and his bright white teeth stood out against the blackness. My heart did a little flip.

"Trusty steed, at your service." I grinned at him and hopped into the basket, suprised that he'd biked the whole way here. He pushed off the asphalt stealthily, so that the cops didn't see us. Fang slowly pedaled down the driveway.

We were almost home free, when a female cop started strolling down the driveway. I automatically tried to leap into the nearest bush.

But let me tell you something. Hedges? Are dense. So I pretty much rammed my head into a bush, and then got my hair stuck, so I couldn't move. I tried ripping it out, but it wouldn't budge.

I heard some snickering, and heard Fang throw his bike over the hedge and out of site. Then, he came over to me and softly and skillfully untwisted my hair. Even though the policewoman was seconds away from busting us, I shivered when his hand brushed my neck on accident.

I felt the last piece of my stupid, long, blonde hair being pulled loose, and Fang and jumped over the bush. We listened to the woman walk by. I thought about our recent predicament, and couldn't help but find it humorous. I covered my mouth with my hand and burst into hysterics. I was silent, but I was laughing so hard I was crying. I glanced up at Fang and saw that he, too, was struggling to control his laughter.

Finally, we could no longer hear her steps, so I finally removed my hand. I heard Fang laugh, too, which just mademe laugh harder. We must have layed there for at least 5 minutes until we could bear to stand up.

I stood up and wiped the tears frommy eyes. I helped Fang put the bike back on the road and got back in the basket. We rode to my house in silence, but it was comfortable. He stopped in front of my porch, and I let out another giggle.

"Well, _that_ was interesting." I proclaimed, grinning at him. He gave me a small smile and nodded.

"Thanks, Fang," I reached out an hugged him without thinking about it. I thought about I was doing, and was about to pull back, when I felt his stong arms wrap around me. It felt surprisingly nice, and we stayed there for a second.

"Max! You're home early! How was- Oh. Umm... See you inside!" Nudge said, peeking her head out of my front door. I quickly released Fang and gave him a little, embarrassed, smile. He looked a little shocked. (Which basically means he blinked)

"Well... thanks again and... see you tomorrow!" I turned around really fast and was in the door in a flash.

**-Line-**

**What did you think? I thought it was pretty good, if I do say so myself. **

**PLEASE, please PlEaSe REVIEW! Yes, I have officially resorted to begging.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys.**

**I am SO FREAKING SORRY! Getting very hard to motivate myself to write...**

**Anyhow, no excuse, and I hope you'll forgive me! Also, been getting ll the promptig, so thanks for not giving up on me...**

**Guess what? I'm gonna be in a movie! A small movie, but I'm so excited! :)**

**Here is the LONG awaited chappie!**

-Line-

I awoke to the strong smell of puppy. Like, ew. I'm more of a bird person, really. I was going to back to sleep, figuring it was just a dream or something, when I felt something wet and sticky brush against my arm.

I shot up and gathered my sheets around me. My heart raced as I saw something wriggling under the blankets at the end of my bed.

Not exactly the way I like to wake up on a Saturday morning.

I cautiously poked the figure, and screamed. I small, black Scottie shot out of th bed and started prancing around my room.

"ELLA!" I yelled, in a desperate attempt to get this _thing _out of my room. My sleepy- looking sister approached my doorway and gave me a look.

"What now, Max? More ants?" She said with a smirk.

"I assume that is _your_ mutt?" I pointed to the animal, now looking at her expectantly. She gasped and ran to catch him in her arms.

"Oh, Max, please, please, _please _don't tell Mom! I've been taking care of him so good, and he looks happy, right?" She pleaded with me. I looked at the dog, and all I saw was a pee stain waiting to happen.

"His name is Total. Please don't make me get rid of him. He's _perfect_." Ella looked at the dog like he was he4r pride and joy.

"If he's so perfect, why don't you just ask Mom to keep him?" Ella has always been a precise beggar.

She gave me another look. The second one this morning, I believe.

"Don't you remember Hopper? Not that it was _my _fault by any means, but I'm guilty by association." I recalled our childhood pet, and his unseemly demise. I grimaced.

"I was ten, okay? And don't think I forgot who ratted me out!" She stuck her tongue out at me, and I looked at the dog, Total, again.

"Just keep him out of my room, alright?" She squealed with joy.

"Good choice, Max! Otherwise I would have had to tell mom that you went to a drinking party last night." She raised her eyebrows.

I stood and slammed the door in her face. I could only deal with so much pest per day.

-Line-

"I can't believe it! You and _Fang!_ I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! You guys look _mucho _cute together, and it's gonna be great!" Nudge exclaimed.

"Calm the _frick _down, Nudge. He saved me, I gave him a hug, and that was it. End of story." She gave me a knowing look and resumed looking through my stack of movies I kept in my room. Truth be told, I wasn't too sure what it meant. But all those evil looks at Sam were starting to make sense.

My phone rang on my bed, and I went to retrieve it. I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope it was Fang, but I was disappointed.

_**Dylan-Cell**_

I considered answering it, before hitting ignore. I concentrated on Nudge's top five picks for the movie.

"How 'bout... _Weird__ Science_?" Nudge asked. I nodded.

"Want to invite Trixie and JJ to this little hootenanny of ours?" I asked. In the short span of time we'd known them, it seemed natural to have them over. Nudge nodded eagerly.

"Can we invite... erm... Iggy?" She asked shyly. I laughed.

"I'll check with my mom, but I'm sure it'll be fine." She smiled and went into my bathroom to primp before he got here.

I called JJ and Iggy, and they said they would be there in ten.

I typed in Trixie's home number and waited.

"Yo?" A feminine voice said. Their mother that tries to hard, I thought.

"Umm... hi, is Trixie home?"

"Fo' shizzle. One sec'." I assumed that meant yes, so I waited again.

"Hello, this is Trixie," a girlish voice stated.

"Hey Trix, it's Max. Nudge, JJ, and Iggy are coming over to watch _Weird__ Science_, care to join us?" I asked.

"Sure. Do care if my brother comes too? He's got nothing to do today, and I feel guilty leaving him alone."

"Uh... sure. See you in a few." I hung up and went to join Nudge in the bathrrom for a primping session.

-Line-

"Hey guys! C'mon in!" I greeted my guests. JJ and Iggy were making popcorn in the kitchen amd Nudge was setting up places for everyone. Trixie and Fang were the last to arrive. I had shut Ella up in her room and bribed her with the promise of doing her chores.

"Hey Max! Thanks for inviting us!" Trixie leaned in for a hug. After a second of standing there, I began to reciprocate. I wasn't used to being around someone so touchy- feely. She released me and I pointed her in the dircetion of the kitchen.

"Hi." said a much deeper voice from beind me. I turned around and gave Fang a weak wave.

"Hey... Nudge is upstairs setting up, and the others are in the kitchen." I informed him.

"I'll go help Nudge." He said. I nodded and led him up the stairs to my room. Nudge had neatly laid out pillows and beanbags across my room. I smiled at her.

"Thanks, Nudge. It looks great!" She beamed with pride.

A few minutes later, we wrangled everyone upstairs and settled in for the movie. Nudge practically dragged Iggy to the seat next to hers, and I sat between Fang and JJ.

I totally got into the movie and everyone was laughing at the good parts, so I didn't even notice when my leg started to touch Fang's. He was absorbed in the movie (Or at least he pretended to be), so I didn't think he noticed when I started to move my leg away, but room suddenly felt very cold, and gradually slid it back into place beside his. I felt content. Even if it was only for a few moments.

Someone knocked at my door. I resentfully stood up and stretched my back. After a few complaints of not being able to see the TV, I picked my way across everyone and twisted the knob.

Ella was sobbing on the other side.

"Max, I lost Total." I felt my stomach drop.

Crap.

**Yay! Nice and long, even if it is boring and filler! I assure you, the next one will be fun :)**

**Reviews increase my work speed my 12097889 percent!**

**Thanks for sticking around,**

**~Me**


	13. Chapter 13

**Well hello there, stranger. Many apologies for the lack of updates! I actually have an excuse: I moved across the country! Its been super crazy, but I am doing my best. Not a bunch of friends, but slowly getting better. So, forgive me? **

**Hope this makes up for it!**

**~Me**

**_LINE_**

I looked at Ella's red face streaked with tears. I had to admit, such an open expression of emotion made me a little uncomfortable. I reached my hand out in an effort to comfort her, and it landed awkwardly on the top of her head.

"Um... don't worry Ella, I'm sure... well, at least you didn't tell mom you had in the first place, right?" I said, lamely trying for humor. Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say, as Ella produced a sound of which hurt my ears.

"What? What's wro- Ella, are you okay? Do I need to kill a bitch?" Nudge was suddenly at my shoulder, and then pulling Ella into a hug. She dealt with these sort of things a lot better than I did, even managing to stop Ella's tears for a moment got her to smile. Nudge looked over her shoulder at me, offering me a glare. My defensive nature rose up in me, and I had to literally bite my tongue to keep from saying something I'd regret.

I quickly relayed to her the story of Total the missing dog. By now my friends had risen from their comfortable seats and joined us in consoling my sister.

"Well, I guess we're on a dog hunt." This came from Trixie. I shook my head vehemently.

"No, no, you really don't have to do that. It's my fault, I let her keep the poor dog,"- cue a wail from Ella- "so it's my responsibility. Sorry to break up this shin dig, but I've gotta go look for him." I smiled sadly at my friends, and turned to go outside and search.

"Oh, no you don't! We may not be the most qualified people, but it's been a long time since I've been apart of a good search party." Iggy told me, grabbing my shoulder. I opened my mouth to protest, but decided better of it. I looked at the assembly of people before me, all ready and willing to help.

"I...I guess I'll go find some headlamps?" I suggested, suprised to see the sun had already set. JJ reached on the floor and pulled up her gigantic tote bag she had brought with her.

"I've got my own already, but thanks!" She said cheerily. We all cast her an odd look. She took no notice, and proceded to adujust the straps to her head. Ella giggled as JJ took a hand held mirror from her sack to admire her work. _What else is she hiding in that bag?_ I thought to myself. I shook off JJ's over preparedness and motioned for the posse to get out of my room.

"C'Mon, gang, to the Mystery Machine!" Iggy said brightly.

**_-LINE-_**

"I swear to God, if I find that dog, I'm going to kill it." I grumbled.

It was already 10 at night, and I could tell that that my friends were getting restless. We we combing through my neighborhood, and were about a mile from my house. I couldn't imagine the dog had run this far, but Ella was hysterical at the thought of returning home without Total. I had looked under every deck possible, and I had about had it. Nudge must have sensed this, as she quickly asked for attention before I dragged Ella back home.

"Say guys, why don't we make a game of it? Go into pairs, and compete to see who can find Total first?" Nudge suggested, blushing a little at the intense gaze from all of us.

"What do we win?" I asked, unable to squelch my competitiveness. Fang chuckled, and it was my turn to blush. I had almost forgotten he as here, as he barely said anything all night. I turned and even deeper shade of red when I remembered our legs touching earlier.

""How about the losers have to wear blue facepaint on Monday?" Trixie suggested, a devlish glint in her eye. An animal instinct in my subconscious desperately wanted to beat her. I grinned at her.

"Sounds perfect." I agreed. I was about to grab Nudge as my partner, until she linked arms with Iggy and they took off down the block. Ella was entranced with Trixie and the aura of coolness that seemed to follow her, and skipped behind them as her and JJ went into the driveway on my left. I looked at my partern by default.

"Well," Fang started, " Are you ready to kick some asses?" I laughed and ran for the woods on my right. If the dog was going to found, I would be the one doing the finding.

**Well guys, do I deserve som welcome- back reviews? I certainly think so. I really wanted to get this chapter up, even though basically nothing happens and I am stretching out this scenario way too long. Anyway, good to be back!**

**REVIEW  
>REVIEW<br>REVIEW**

**Please- you don't know how good it makes meh feel! **

**Thanks**

**~Me**


	14. Chapter 14

**HELLO, MY LOVELIES!**

**Thanks to the recent reviews telling m to come back, I figured I'd revive this story. I just re-read the whole thing for the frst time in a long while. My writing skills have hopefully improved since 2011, so Max and the gang should be back and better than ever!**

**(And now, maybe they can have an actual plot to follow!)**

**Thanks for all the love when I was gone :)**

**-line-**

I looked at Fang racing to keep up with me and laughed. It was one of those moments when you just feel so intensely _alive_. It didn't matter that we were searching for Ella's dumb dog in the middle of Suburbia, because now the competition had given me a new sense of purpose. Nothing like the threat of embarressment to light a fire under your ass.

"Total!" I called. "Come here, you stupid mutt!"

"Max, why dont we look by the stream? He could have fallen in." Fang suggested. I nodded, and changed my direction due East.

Fang and I jogged for 5 minutes in silence before we finally caught sight of the body of water that runs behind my house. I was breathing a little heavy and could feel sweat pooling on my back. I called for the dog once more, with no response.

"Alright, we've looked all over this godforsaken nerighborhood with no sign of that damn dog." I muttered, angrily kicking a pile of stones in my path. I was going for another kick, but I hit a slick patch of mud and fell right on my hip.

"YOWCH!" I cried out, biting my tongue to keep me from saying anything worse. Fang was at my side in a moment, with a worried look in his eyes.

"Max, what hurts? Are you okay? Can you walk?" He hurriedly asked. I looked at him in suprise.

"Sure, sure, I'm fine." I said, grimacing. He held out his hand to help me up, and I took it. Not because I wanted to hold his hand or anything. Obviously. I let go as soon as I was standing, and he looked away sheepishly.

I dusted off my backside and leaned against a tree. I realy was fine, but I was still irritated about the dog.

"You know what? I never should have let her keep that dog. I knew, I _knew, _it would be nothing but trouble, but I said okay, because I was feeling nice that day. This is what I get for being nice..." I said, still fuming.

Fang stepped over to me and tentatively out his hand on my shoulder. He gave me a look like 'You done?'

"Max, I think you did a good thing letting your sister keep the dog. And I don't know about you, but I thought it was pretty funny to see the great Maximum Ride fall on her ass." He said with a smirk. I punched him in the shoulder, but couldn't help but laugh.

"You're funny, Hawkings." I replied.

Fang gave me one of his trademark smiles. I could've turned off the headlamp, his face was so bright. My stomach squeezed, and I swear all the oxygen was sucked out of the air because I couldn't catch my breath. I glanced away and took off my headlamp, just for something to do. Fang removed his as well, and took a step closer to me.

Before I really knew what I was doing, I dropped the lamp and met him halfway between us and put my arms around his neck, and looked up at him. He'd dropped his light as well, but even in the darkness I could tell he was smiling. His strong, lean arms went around my waist, and we held there for a second. I was fightng the urge to pull away and run back towards the safety of my house and friends. But I was too far in, and I have to admit, I was pretty comfortable being interlaced with Fang.

His head drooped down towards mine, and I could feel his breath on my face. He paused, like he wasn't sure if he should keep going. So, made the decision for him. I lifted my head up and pressed my lips against his. I could feel him smile underneath my kiss, and I smiled to. Then, his hand went to the base of my neck and he kissed me again. I opened my mouth slightly, and felt his tongue slip in gently. It rubbed against my bottom lip and left them tingling. I pulled away and rested my forehead against his. I could hear him breathing in and out.

Did I just do that? How is it possible that I am standing here in the arms of this wonderful and enigmatic boy? How it possible that even after I just kissed him, that I want to run away more than ever? Luckily, I didn't get the chance.

"Max! Fang! We found the dog! Max! Fa- oh. Hello." Nudge stopped short when she saw out comprimising position. We sprang away from each other quickly, but not fast enough to escape her gaze. She smirked at me.

"Well, I'll leave you two alooooone..." she said in a sing-song voice.

'No! I-I mean, we were just leaving." I couldn't meet Fang's gaze as a scurried away ahead of Nudge. I power walked towards my home, where I saw Ella holding the stupid mutt. She smiled.

"Hey, loser! Guess who has to wear face paint on Monday?" She taunted me.

"Not now, Ella." I said, with a harsh tone. Her expression turned sour, and she walked towards JJ and rixie, who were high fiving ech other over their success at dog-finding.

I looked over towards the edge of the woods and saw Fang climb through the last bunch of trees, his face stoic as ever. Our eyes met and his mask dropped, revealing the confusion and disappointment in his eyes. He shook his head, picked up his bike, and took off down the suburban street with weight on his shoulders.

"Fang!" Trixie called out. She sighed exasperatedly. She glanced at my face, and must have seen something in it that looked incriminating.

"Max? I know we're friends, but Fang is my brother. I happen to know that he is crazy about you. If you do anything to hurt him..." her voice dropped off threateningly. After that, she turned around and resumed talking to our friends like normal.

I was so confused my head was spinning. How did that all happen so fast? I felt guilty and scared and angry and maybe even a little bit in love. As a person who tries to avoid expressing emotions altogether, it was a little too much to handle. Without a word to anyone else, I high tailed it up to my room and slipped into bed.

Between you, me, and my pillow, my tear ducts got a workout that night.

**How's that for a comeback? Let me know!**

**Thanks for sticking around. I'd love to hear from you guys!**

**Love always,**

**~Me**


	15. Chapter 15

****Hey everybody!****

****Just posted an AHS Fic yesterday, when I realized that this story has gotten 63 reviews! That is truly amazing, and thanks to everyone who kept this story going.****

****As a token of my gratitude, here is a new chappie!****

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><p><strong>I woke up the next morning and fought the urge to return to sleep. I think it is a plain miracle that anyone would wake up before 11 on a Saturday morning, but my sister had the astounding quality of being a morning person. When I peeled my eyelids apart, Ella was sitting with her nose in a book in the chair adjacent to my bed. She heard my rustling, looked up, and gave me a devilish smile.<strong>

** "****It's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiive!" she yells as she flings aside her book and tackles me back onto my pillow. "I heard you were ****_quite _****busy last night! Maybe Total should get lost more often…" **

**I groaned under her weight and accusations, and tried to suppress the confusing memories from last night. I raised a hand to my head in an attempt to block out the thought of running away from Fang when he had finally opened up to me. Did I even like Fang? The prospect of being vulnerable to another human being was more than intimidating. I don't know what possessed me to kiss him, but I'm sure he thought I was some sort of ditz. **

** "****Alright, get off, ****_get off!" _****I said as I pushed Ella from the bed. I rolled over to check my cell phone, and there were no messages. I knew that I had screwed up the moment, so it was my turn to reach out to Fang. I waved my sister out of the room, and tried to painstakingly compose a text. **

**Hey, Fang. Sorry about last night.**

**I'm no writer, but it'll do. I hit send, and immediately started to analyze every letter and punctuation mark. Was it too distant? Too sincere? Too closed off? **

**I shook off the feeling of insecurity and started to rise out of the bed, when my phone went off. I looked down in anticipation.**

**Fang:No problem. I see you as more of a friend anyway.**

**The cold, calculated words stung. Did he really mean that? I thought the way he looked at me meant-**

**Nothing, it meant nothing. I clamped the pain growing in the pit of my stomach, and threw the phone on the bed. I was not going to let that snot-nosed, arrogant boy ruin this day. My phone buzzed again, and a hope grew that maybe it was Fang. Unfortunately, the hope was quickly squashed.**

**Dylan: Hey, Max! I'm so sorry about that party. Give me another chance?**

**I pictured Dylan's attractive, boyish face, and I internally shrugged. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? I mean, I'm definitely not perfect. Plus, doing something with a cute boy sure beats watching reruns of Law & Order with my sister. I quickly responded, even though my thoughts were still swirling around rejection from Fang.**

**Sure, why not? What do you have in mind?**

**He responded quickly, and soon Dylan and I had plans to grab dinner at 6. Because Ella had woken me up so early, I had quite a while to obsess over my outfit and possible makeup. I decided to distract myself with some reading, until my mom barged into my room looking frazzled. **

**"****Max, go to the convenience store and buy a lint roller. That dog is getting hair all over my lab jackets." she instructed me, and then shut the door. I laughed because she was so out of it that she hadn't even yelled at Ella for keeping the dog. I quickly got dressed and brushed my teeth, and headed out the door to the store. The sidewalked was awash with morning light, and it was tranquil. **

**I entered the automatic door and hunted into the tightly packed shelves full of everything from baby powder to windshield wipers. I grabbed the lint roller, and inspected the makeup section. Was one kind of mascara really so different from another? I picked up an obnoxiously bright orange tube of eyeliner, when I heard a voice from behind me.**

**"****Decided to become a circus clown after all?" Fang questioned , voice thick with sarcasm. I bristled, and remembered my feelings of hurt.**

**"****Well, figured I'd check it out. What's it like being in a freak show?" I asked him scathingly. He pushed back his hair, revealing a slight smile at my defensiveness. Fang's eyes locked with mine with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. I imagined how it felt to have his arms around me, and his lips on-**

**"****I have another date tonight," I blabbered, trying to spite him even though I was hopelessly drawn to him. Fang immediately dropped his eyes and his mouth was a hard line. His hands were fists and I took a step back.**

**"****Good luck. Hope he's a better kisser than I am," he shot back, walking with purpose back to the check out counter. I felt a pang of guilt, but then remembered this morning's text. I regained confidence, and then went to pay for the lint roller. I purposefully selected another cashier, even though there was no line at Fang's station. **

**I returned back home without a hitch, still burning from my encounter with Fang. I enlisted Ella to do my makeup (something she was always happy to do) and put on a slightly sheer black crop sleeve shirt and coral shorts. In the mirror, the girl returning my reflection looked… pretty good. Ella was giddy and took several pictures, which I'm sure would end up on her blog later. **

**At 6:03, knock on the door resounded through the house, and gave me a twinge of anxiety. After the last time I was with Dylan, I wasn't exactly excited at the idea of spending the evening with him. I readied myself once more in the mirror, and answered the door. **

**There he was, looking like he had just stepped out of a magazine shoot. Dylan's blonde hair flowed back carelessly, and his blue button down matched his eyes perfectly. His calm, collected demeanor set me at ease, and his smile sped up my heart beat. Maybe the night wasn't doomed at all. I smiled at him nervously.**

**"****Max! You look great!" he exclaimed, his expression reflecting his genuine happiness at seeing me. He pulled me in for a surprise hug, and after a moment of standing stiff, I relaxed into it and returned the gesture. He smelled like chocolate ice cream. He pulled away, but gave me his hand and lead me off the front porch. Dylan's grin made my senses tingle in a way that only one other could have made me feel, and I was intentionally not thinking about him at the moment. I ducked into Dylan's car, ready to get away for a little while.**

**While I was in my star struck stupor, I didn't notice the dark shadow's movement behind me.**

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><p><strong><strong>Whaddya think? I always love feedback, especially from readers who've encouraged me to get back. <strong>**

****Thank you always!****

****love always,****

****~Me****


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello, readers!**

**First week of school is over, so I figured I didn't have any excuses not to write :) **

**IT IS A GOOD DAY TO BE ALIVE, FRIENDS!**

* * *

><p>Just as I was swinging shut the door to Dylan's car, I saw a dark form in the sideview mirror. The black Vans were close to unmistakable, and I turned in confusion to see Fang standing by the rear end. He looked… terrifyingly angry. He caught my gaze, and it felt like fire. My spine shivered from the rage pouring out of his black eyes, in a rare emotional downpour. It was terrifying, and I quickly opened the door to try and calm the storm that was this pubescent boy.<p>

"Fang, I-" I started. His glare pulled me up short for words, which is a hard thing to do.

"Hey, man, what's your deal?" Dylan prompted, irritated. Fang almost smirked in anticipation of ripping the preppy, blonde boy to shreds.

"My deal is that you are the scum of the earth," Fang said scathingly, "and you think you have the right to go anywhere with this stupid, beautiful girl." Dylan puffed up his broad chest in defiance, and I was feeling very conflicted that those were two adjectives Fang would use to describe me. I decided to be angry.

"You don't get to say _anything _about the girl, asshole." Dylan replied with more force than expected. I decided it was time to step in and stop the man contest.

"Hey, hey, hey, guys. Calm down and- Jesus, Fang, what the hell?!" I yelled as he tried to grab my arm and drag me back towards the house. I yanked away, but he was stronger than he looked and I struggled to slip away.

While I was flopping like a fish out of water, Dylan had caught up with us stopped directly in front of Fang.

"Look, dude, I'm gonna give you one chance to take your freak hands off of her, or I'm gonna beat you so hard you'll wish you'd never been born." Dylan threatened ferociously. If I were on the receiving end of that, I would have been quaking in my boots.

"I think I'll take my chances," Fang retorted darkly. He quickly released me from his iron grip and flung me aside. I landed oh-so-gracefully on my ass, and looked up just in time to see Fang punch Dylan directly on the face. A snap, crack, and pop later, there was blood on both of their hands.

"Stop! Stop!" I cried out, and tried to stand up. I felt a sharp pain in my leg that took the breath out of me.

Fang was pinned to the ground, and Dylan was wailing on him. Fang's face was a mess, and Dylan's nose looked broken.

"Dylan!" I yelled. He took another jab at Fang's face before looking up at me. His blue eyes remained crystal clear even in the midst of all this. He looked down at my awkwardly bent leg and immediately dropped his stony expression for one of remorse. Fang groaned loudly but his eyes were closed, and one was swelling already looking purple around the edges.

"Max, are you hurt?" Dylan asked in a much more gentle tone than he used earlier, and he came over to my side and looked me in the eye. It was now my turn to be wrathful. My face was a stone wall and my gaze was deadly. He looked sheepishly down to my leg.

"Bring me back to my house." I instructed him. All the action had actually happened just down the block from where I lived. He stood up and took my hand, and I tried to stand. I couldn't even get halfway without yelping.

"Um, Max, I think I'm gonna have to carry you." Dylan said shyly. I scowled before nodding.

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><p><strong>So finally we have some plot development. Tell me what you think, because I want to hear it all!<strong>

**Love always, **

**~Me**


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